Virginia's Shamel Bratton headlines a loaded 2011 MLL
draft class. The draft will take place Jan. 21 in
Baltimore.

The 2011 Major League Lacrosse draft will be held in January,
prior to the college season, league commissioner David Gross said,
a move that breaks the previous standard of waiting until after
Final Four weekend in May to draft eligible college players.

Teams will not offer players' contracts, and players are
forbidden to sign agreements or even accept pro team gear (per NCAA
rules) until after their college seasons end. But the change to an
earlier draft date allows players uninvolved in postseason
tournament runs to enter the outdoor pro league for the start of
the season, instead of all players waiting until Weeks 3 or 4 like
has been customary in the past.

The draft will be held Friday, Jan. 21 in Baltimore, likely at
the site of the old ESPN Zone on the Inner Harbor from 8:30-11
p.m., Gross said. It will be streamed live on ESPN3.com and be open
to the public, either through general admission or a free ticket
system.

"There's an element of risk," involved in drafting players
before they have a season to play, Gross said. Players' stocks can
rise, fall, or they can become injured, which could affect a team's
roster makeup. But that could help create interest in MLL during
the college season, Gross said, as fans have the chance to follow
the statuses of drafted players.

The switch will also hopefully encourage players to find
post-collegiate employment opportunities in or near the MLL city
that drafted them, he said.

"Good for me," Crowley joked, before analyzing the idea. "I feel
like a lot of people could come out of nowhere that would have been
potential draft picks. But also when the college season is over,
people can jump right in instead of waiting."

The draft is eight rounds and 48 picks. Undrafted players will
be asked to register for the MLL Player Pool after their college
seasons and be placed in the waiver system. The waiver order is
based on the current standings of the six-team league, with the
worst team getting the first pick.

Players can attend the January draft if they wish, but they
aren't required. Gross said he anticipates players doing phone
interviews for the online draft broadcast since they will likely be
on college campuses.

"We do not want to do anything to mess with anyone's
eligibility," Gross said.